Eclipse (also known as Eclipse) is the third book in the Twilight Saga written by Stephenie Meyer. It continues the story of Bella Swan and her relationship with Edward Cullen, a vampire. The book describes Bella’s struggle between her feelings for Edward and her friendship with Jacob Black, a werewolf. It also shows Bella’s difficult choice about giving up her human life in a dangerous situation caused by unknown vampire attacks in Seattle.
Eclipse comes after New Moon and before Breaking Dawn. The book was published on August 7, 2007, with an initial print of one million copies. It sold over 150,000 copies within the first day. Eclipse was the fourth most popular book in 2008, following Twilight, New Moon, and Breaking Dawn. A movie version of the book was released on June 30, 2010.
Eclipse received mostly positive feedback from critics. They praised the book for exploring more grown-up topics than earlier books in the series and for its love triangle and story events.
Plot summary
The story starts with Seattle having many unsolved murders. Edward Cullen believes a newborn vampire, who cannot control their need for human blood, is responsible. As Edward and Bella apply to colleges, Bella tells Edward she wants to visit her friend, Jacob Black, a Quileute Native American who can change into a wolf, like some other tribe members. Edward is worried about Bella’s safety, but she says Jacob and the wolf pack would not harm her. During a visit, Jacob tells Bella he loves her and wants her to choose him over Edward. Bella says she only sees him as a friend.
At the same time, Alice Cullen has a vision that a vampire named Victoria has returned to Forks. Victoria wants to kill Bella to avenge her mate, James. Alice takes Bella to the Cullen house for a sleepover. Bella learns about Rosalie’s past, which led to her becoming a vampire and why she values humanity. Bella wants to become a vampire but later agrees to think again. A few days later, Edward proposes to Bella. Even though Bella does not like the idea of marriage, she agrees on the condition that Edward will have sex with her while she is still human.
The Cullens discover the Seattle murders are caused by an "army" of newborn vampires controlled by Victoria. The Cullens team up with the wolf pack to fight Victoria after their allies, the Denali Coven, refuse to help. Before the battle, Edward, Bella, and Jacob stay hidden in the mountains. Seth Clearwater, a young wolf pack member, joins them to wait out the fight.
Jacob overhears Edward and Bella talking about their engagement. He becomes upset and threatens to join the battle and risk his life. Bella stops him by kissing him and realizes she loves him. During the battle, Victoria finds Bella’s hiding place using Edward’s scent. Edward fights Victoria and kills her. The Cullens and their allies defeat Victoria’s army. Afterward, Bella tells Jacob she loves him but says her love for Edward is stronger. The story ends with Bella telling Charlie she plans to marry Edward.
In the epilogue, Jacob runs away in his wolf form after being heartbroken. Leah, who also experienced heartbreak with Sam, feels sympathy for Jacob. She expresses her dislike and hatred for Bella.
Development, inspirations and influences
Stephenie Meyer completed the first version of the book Eclipse before Twilight was released in October 2005. However, she explained that the final version of the book was not very different from the first draft. At first, the book had a different ending because Eclipse was meant to be the last book in the series. Meyer had a contract with Little, Brown and Company to write three books. She said the story of Eclipse focuses on Bella’s decision to become a vampire and the challenges she must face during the change, which she did not fully understand in earlier books. Meyer explained that every part of the book, including character backgrounds, relationships, and action scenes, is connected to this central theme.
Meyer mentioned that Eclipse was inspired by the book Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, even though she does not enjoy the book. She said the characters in Wuthering Heights interest her, and she likes reading certain parts, but she finds the book overall very sad. This opinion is shown through Edward’s character in Eclipse. When comparing Edward and Jacob to the characters Heathcliff and Edgar Linton in Wuthering Heights, Meyer said people might have different opinions about which character is similar to which. She enjoys this confusion because it reflects how people often see things differently in real life.
In August 2009, The Telegraph reported that HarperCollins’ version of Wuthering Heights, which has a cover style similar to the Twilight series, sold more than 10,000 copies since May of that year. This was more than twice the sales of the traditional Penguin Classics edition. The HarperCollins version became the top-selling classic book in the newspaper’s chart for the first time, partly because Meyer mentioned Wuthering Heights in her work.
Cover
The book cover shows a torn red ribbon. It was meant to be shared with the public in May 2007 during the Eclipse Prom, but Barnes & Noble and Meyer's official website showed the new cover in March 2007, along with a summary of the story. The broken ribbon symbolizes a choice Bella faces in the book: whether to stay with her vampire love, Edward Cullen, or remain friends with the werewolf Jacob Black. Meyer explained that the ribbon also shows Bella cannot fully leave her human life behind. Movie covers featuring actors Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, who play Bella, Edward, and Jacob in the film, were released in May 2010.
Release
Before the release of Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer held an "Eclipse Prom" event at Arizona State University with help from a local bookstore and ASU's English department. Tickets sold out in seven hours, so Meyer held a second prom the same day. Tickets for the second prom sold out in four hours. At the event, Meyer read the first chapter of Eclipse, which was also included in the special edition of New Moon released that day. Meyer also traveled to 15 cities to promote the book. She posted the first chapter of Eclipse on her website and shared a "Quote of the Day" from the novel on her website for 37 days before its release.
Before the book came out, Meyer appeared on Good Morning America.
On July 25, Barnes & Noble Booksellers accidentally sent advance copies of Eclipse to customers who had pre-ordered the book. To stop spoilers from appearing online, many Twilight fan forums were closed. Meyer also locked comments on her MySpace page to prevent spoilers. In a letter to the Twilight Lexicon, Meyer asked readers who received early copies to keep the ending of the book secret until others could read it.
Publication and reception
The book Eclipse was printed with one million copies at first and sold 150,000 copies on the first day it was released. It replaced J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the top-selling book on bestseller lists worldwide, including The New York Times Best Seller list, even though Deathly Hallows had been released only two and a half weeks earlier. Eclipse reached the top spot on USA Today's top 150 best sellers list and remained on the list for over 100 weeks. In October 2008, it was ranked #45 on USA Today's list of the best-selling books of the last 15 years. Eclipse was the fourth bestselling book of 2008, behind Twilight, New Moon, and Breaking Dawn, and the second bestselling book of 2009, behind New Moon. It also reached the top of Publishers Weekly's list of "Bestselling Hardcover Backlist Children's Books" in 2008, with over 4.5 million copies sold.
Most reviews of Eclipse were positive. Anne Rouyer of School Library Journal said the book provided "thrills, chills, and a lot of romance" and praised the "effective and intense portrayal of first love" as a key part of the story. She noted that the "injection of heightened sexual tension and sensuality" added to the story's emotional atmosphere. However, she thought the detailed histories of the werewolves and vampires slowed the story's pace and called the newborn army's story a "complicated addition," though she said it helped Bella understand her future. Katie Trattner of Blogcritics praised the characters' development, especially Rosalie and Jasper, and said the book's emotional depth and Bella's growth made it engaging. She also said Meyer wrote "fluidly" and "propelled the reader forward effortlessly." Selby Gibson-Boyce of Tulsa World said the book was so engaging that she read it without stopping. Publishers Weekly said fans of Bella and Edward's relationship would enjoy the book but noted it might not attract new readers. Kirkus Reviews said the book's "unsettling racially charged characterizations" were balanced by messages about overcoming differences and working together. It also said fans of Bella's emotional struggles would enjoy the story, and the ending left room for future stories about Jake.
Laura Buhl of About.com gave the book a mixed review, giving it 3.5 stars out of 5. She said the early chapters were slow because of jealousy issues and that some conflicts felt forced. However, she praised Meyer's understanding of teenage emotions and said the final battle was exciting. Novelist Elizabeth Hand of The Washington Post gave a negative review, calling the book a "disappointment" and criticizing it for not delivering a major battle between werewolves and vampires or for making Bella "an insufferable bore."
The New York Times selected the book as an Editor's Choice.
Film adaptation
A movie version of Eclipse was released on June 30, 2010. It is the third movie in the Twilight film series, which includes Twilight (2008) and New Moon (2009). Summit Entertainment approved the film in February 2009. The director of New Moon, Chris Weitz, was working on that film when Eclipse began filming, so he did not direct Eclipse. Instead, David Slade directed Eclipse, and Melissa Rosenberg returned to write the screenplay. Filming took place from August 17 to October 29, 2009, at Vancouver Film Studios. Eclipse is the only Twilight movie that was converted to IMAX format.